Iraq says Islamic State militants raze ancient Hatra city
Islamic State militants have destroyed ancient remains of the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra in northern Iraq, officials said on Saturday, in their latest attack on Iraqi antiquities which the United Nations condemned as barbarism.
The antiquities and tourism ministry said it had received reports from the northern city of Mosul, which is under the control of the radical Islamist group, that the site at Hatra was demolished on Saturday. A ministry official said it was difficult to confirm the reports and the ministry had not received any pictures showing the extent of the damage at Hatra, listed as a UN world heritage site. But a resident told Reuters he heard a powerful explosion at Hatra early on Saturday and said that other people nearby had reported that Islamic State militants had destroyed some buildings there and were bulldozing other parts.
